Men’s Basketball Non-Conference Schedule Released

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida State, the third winningest team in ACC play in the last nine seasons, will play a 13-game non-conference schedule with home games against Florida, Nebraska, UCF, Manhattan and Northeastern as head coach Leonard Hamilton announced the Seminoles’ pre-ACC schedule of games. The Seminoles will play host to three teams that played in the 2014 NCAA Tournament including national semifinalist Florida, will play four games in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Classic (two at home and two on the road), one at the Orange Bowl Classic in Sunrise, Fla., and will travel to play a regular season game at Mississippi State for the first time since the 1954-55 season.

Florida State opens its regular season in the newly renovated Donald L. Tucker Center with home contests against Manhattan (November 15) and Northeastern (November 18) in the first and second rounds of the Hall of Fame Classic. The Seminoles will travel to Uncasville, Conn. to conclude the tournament as they face Providence (November 22) in the semifinal round and UMass (November 23) in the final round of the event. It marks the first time in program history that the Seminoles will play in the Hall of Fame Classic.

Following their participation in the Hall of Fame Classic, the Seminoles host four consecutive games against The Citadel (November 25), Charleston Southern (November 28), Nebraska in the 16th Annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge (December 1) and in-state rival UCF (December 6).

Florida State’s game against Nebraska marks the second-ever meeting between the two teams with the Seminoles taking a 74-60 victory in the Orange Bowl Classic on December 31, 2005. It marks the first meeting in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge between the two teams; the Huskers joined the Big Ten 2011.

The Seminoles close out the calendar year with home games against North Florida (December 17), Stetson (December 22), and Florida (December 30). The Seminoles’ game against Stetson will bring former Florida State assistant coach Corey Williams back to Tallahassee for the first time since he helped lead the Seminoles to five consecutive postseason appearances and the 2012 ACC Championship.

A road game at Mississippi State on Jan. 2 closes out the non-conference portion of the schedule.

Florida State, which is the third winningest program in the ACC since the start of the 2005-06 season, returns four of its top six scorers from its 2013 team including All-American candidate Aaron Thomas who lead the Seminoles in scoring with a career-high 14.5 points per game average. Thomas earned All-ACC Honorable Mention honors as a sophomore.

“Our non-conference schedule will challenge us, there is no doubt about that,” said Hamilton. “We have always worked to assemble a schedule that will prepare us for our ACC schedule and we have done that again this season. We will play teams from 10 different conferences so we will see a variety of styles of play which will certainly prepare us for the ACC which is the best conference in college basketball history.”

Season tickets are now on sale for the 2014-15 season. Fans have several different options in choosing their seats in the newly renovated Donald L. Tucker Center. The Seminoles will play host to the best teams from the best conferences in the country. The Seminoles’ ACC schedule, which now includes perennial powerhouse Louisville at home, will be released at a later date.

Tickets can be ordered on-line at seminoles.com or by calling (888) FSU-NOLE (378-6653).

Florida Stats Men’s Basketball

2014-15 Non-Conference Schedule

Date Opponent Time TV

TBD Exhibition 1 TBD TB

TBD Exhibition 2 TBD TBD

Nov. 15 1 Manhattan TBD TBD

Nov. 18 1 Northeastern TBD TBD

Nov. 22 2 Providence TBD TBD

Nov. 23 2 UMass TBD TBD

Nov. 25 The Citadel TBD TBD

Nov. 28 Charleston Southern TBD TBD

Dec. 1 3 Nebraska TBD TBD

Dec. 6 UCF TBD TBD

Dec. 17 North Florida TBD TBD

Dec. 20 4 USF TBD TBD

Dec. 22 Stetson TBD TBD

Dec. 30 Florida TBD TBD

Jan. 2 at Mississippi State TBD TBD

Manhattan

Florida State opens its 2014-15 season as they play host to Manhattan on November 15 at the Donald L. Tucker Center. It will mark the first game between the two teams since a 98-68 Seminole win in Tallahassee on January 11, 1971. This game will also mark the first matchup between Florida State’s Leonard Hamilton and Manhattan’s Steve Masiello. Florida State holds the advantage of 2-0 against Manhattan. The Seminoles are 1-0 when playing at home against the Jaspers and protects home court when playing against teams from the MAAC conference with a 5-0 record. The Seminoles are 6-1 against teams from the MAAC while Hamilton has a 3-0 record against teams in the MAAC (2-0 at Miami, 1-0 at Florida State). Manhattan played in the 2014 NCAA Tournament where it fell to new ACC member Louisville in the second round, 71-64. The last time Florida State played a team from the MAAC was during its run to the championship of the Old Spice Class during the 2009-10 season. The Seminoles defeated Iona, 64-49, in the first round of the tournament, topped Alabama, 60-51, in the second round of the event and won the championship with a come-from-behind, 57-56, win over Marquette. The games were played at the Disney Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

Northeastern

The Seminoles will play host to Northeastern in their second home game on November 18. It marks the second meeting in school history the two schools and head coaches (Hamilton and Bill Coen) would match up. Last season, Florida State defeated Northeastern in their first ever meeting in the third round of the Puerto-Rico Tip-Off, 62-60 in San Juan. Puerto Rico. Northeastern is a member of the Colonial Athletic Association. Florida State holds a perfect winning record of 9-0 against teams from the Colonial Athletic Association. The last time Florida State played a member of the Colonial Athletic Association was at home at the Donald L. Tucker Center on December 18, 2007 when the Seminoles took a 66-61 win over the College of Charleston. Northeastern’s Coen spent nine seasons (1997-2006) as a member of the Boston College coaching staff (four as assistant coach and five as associate head coach), helping lead the team to six postseason berths including a trip to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament in 2006. Florida State is 11-11 against teams from the state of Massachusetts.

Providence

Florida State will play its first road game of the season at a neutral site of Mohegan Sun against the Providence Friars on November 22, 2014 marking the third ever meeting in school history between the two teams. Florida State has a 1-0 advantage over Providence at neutral sites. The Seminoles most recently played Providence on December 22, 2007 at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island. Providence won the game by a 101-95 margin. Florida State head coach Leonard Hamilton has a record of 8-9 against Providence with a 7-8 record from his tenure at Miami and a 1-1 mark at Florida State. Florida State’s game against Providence will mark the second consecutive season the Seminoles’ will play against a team from the Big East after defeating Georgetown, 101-90, in the second round of the 2014 NIT in a game played in Tallahassee. The win marked the victory over a team from the Big East for the first time since beating Notre Dame on March 20, 2011 in the NCAA Tournament. The Seminoles are 14-13 against the current teams of the Big East.

UMass

Florida State will play UMass at Mohegan Sun which is serving as a neutral site on November 23, 2014. The Seminoles defeated UMass last year in the Orange Bowl Classic in Sunrise, Fla., 60-55. Florida State has a 4-3 all-time series record against UMass with both teams taking two games on their respective home court and Florida State having the one up for games played on neutral courts. Florida State is 11-11 against teams from the state of Massachusetts.

The Citadel

Florida State returns home to Tallahassee to play The Citadel on November 25, 2014. The Seminoles have a 3-1 advantage when playing at home versus The Citadel. The Seminoles have a 45-20 advantage over Southern Conference teams while Coach Hamilton has a 5-1 (4-1 at FSU; 1-0 at Miami) record over those teams. The last time Florida State played a Southern Conference team was against UNC-Greensboro on December 11, 2011. The last time Florida State and The Citadel played each other was December 30, 1999 with the Seminoles taking the 77-51 victory. Florida State leads the all-time series by an 80-55 margin against teams from the state of South Carolina and is 44-26 against non-ACC schools from the Palmetto State.

Charleston Southern

The Seminoles will play host to Charleston Southern on November 28, 2014 at the Donald L. Tucker Center. Last year, Florida State closed its non-conference schedule with a 67-59 victory on December 30 in Tallahassee. Charleston Southern a member of the Big South Conference. Florida State is undefeated against Big South Conference opponents (17-0). The Seminoles hold a seven game winning streak going into this meeting against Charleston Southern. The Seminoles lead the Buccaneers, 7-0, in the all-time series that dates back to 1976.

Nebraska

Florida State will square off with Nebraska in the 16th Annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge. This game marks the second meeting between Florida State and Nebraska. Their last matchup took place December 31, 2005, when the Seminoles won 74-60 at the Orange Bowl Classic in Sunrise, Fla. Florida State has a 43-25series advantage over Big Ten opponents. This meeting will also mark the first matchup between Leonard Hamilton and Tim Miles. Hamilton’s overall record against the Huskies is 6-4 with the majority of the games played taking place during his tenure as head coach at Oklahoma State. Florida State faced a Big Ten opponent three last season playing Minnesota in the ACC / Big Ten Challenge and facing Gophers in the semifinals of the NIT. Florida State lost 71-61 to the Gophers on December 3, 2013 and fell to Minnesota in overtime for the NIT semifinal round at Madison Square Garden, 67-64. The Seminoles also played, and fell to, No. 13 Michigan, 82-80, in overtime in the second round of the 2013 Puerto Rico Tip-Off.

UCF

Florida State will play host to UCF December 6 in the Donald L. Tucker Center. The Seminoles hold a 10-0 advantage over the Knights. Seven of those wins have come in Tallahassee, two at neutral sites, and one at CFE Federal Credit Union Arena. The game will mark the first of five non-conference games between in-state opponents for Florida State this season. Florida State will also face North Florida, USF, Stetson and rival Florida along with the conference home-home site matchup with Miami adding two more game. The Seminoles defeated UCF, 80-68, on November 13, 2013 – their first game against a member of the American Athletic Conference which was reorganized on July 1, 2013. The Seminoles currently hold a 93-97 series record against teams from the AAC.

North Florida

The Seminoles will host North Florida on December 17, 2014 marking the third time in program history that the two teams will play each other on Florida State’s home court. Florida State holds a 2-0 series record against North Florida with both wins coming in Tallahassee. This game will mark the first time that the two teams will meet in the month of December with both of the previous games being played in the month of November. Last season the Seminoles played two teams from the Atlantic Sun conference. Florida State defeated Jacksonville, 91-67, in their season home opener on November 8, 2013 and defeated Florida Gulf Coast in the first round of the NIT in Tallahassee. The Seminoles defeated FGCU, 58-53, on March 18, 2014 and currently hold a 108-42 (.720 winning percentage) against teams from the Atlantic Sun.

USF

Florida State will travel to Sunrise, Florida on December 20 to play USF in the Orange Bowl Classic. The game will mark the third consecutive season the Seminoles will play in the Orange Bowl Classic. Florida State defeated UMass, 60-55, on Dec. 21, 2013 in the Orange Bowl Classic. The game marks the first time the two will face each other since USF took a 68-67 win over the Seminoles while playing at a neutral site in the Glenn Wilkes Classic on November 18, 2007. The classic berths the first match up between Coach Hamilton and USF first year head coach Orlando Antigua. Coach Hamilton has an overall record 1-1 against USF (1-0 at Miami and 0-1 at Florida State) while Florida State currently holds a 20-12 series record against the Bulls.

Stetson

The Seminoles return home to continue their play against in-state opponents with a game against Stetson on December 22, 2014. At home, the Seminoles are 23-4 against the Hatters since the 1947-48 season and have won 21 consecutive home games in the series – a streak that began on Dec. 18, 1953.The Seminoles also hold a 17-game winning streak in the series. Florida State has won all 11 games against Stetson under Hamilton and has defeated the Hatters 17 consecutive times in a streak that began on Dec. 11, 1975. Since the renewal of the series in 2002, the Seminoles are 8-0 at home and 2-0 on the road against Stetson. Florida State currently holds a .788 winning percentage (41-11) over Stetson. Stetson is under the direction of second year head coach Corey Williams- a former Florida State assistant coach (2007-13) and will face off with the Seminole for the first time since joining the Hatters.

Florida

Florida State will play host to in-state rival Florida December 30, 2014. The game marks the 66th meeting of the two teams, a series that dates back to 1951. Last season, the Seminoles lost a down to the wire game by a 67-66 margin in Gainesville on November 29, 2013. Florida State trails the series but won three consecutive games from 2006-2008 including a 70-66 upset of the reigning national champion Gators at the Donald L. Tucker Center on December 3, 2006.

Mississippi State

Florida State will close out its non-conference regular season schedule as they it travels to Starkville, Miss., on January 2, 2014 to take on Mississippi State. This game marks the second SEC team played during the season. Florida State is 4-4 against Mississippi State and 0-1 under Coach Hamilton. Mississippi State is directed under second-year head coach Rick Ray. Ray has some familiarity with playing against Seminole basketball with once being an assistant coach for Clemson (2010-2012). The Seminoles last played Mississippi State in the quarterfinals of the NIT where Florida State lost an 86-71 decision on March 20, 2007.